Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 326

The meeting concluded without incident, but due to the increasing number of matters requiring ongoing discussion, another session was scheduled for four days later.

If all goes well, the Soldier’s Guild will be established, and the meeting will be held the day after.

The next meeting will focus on the future of the Libertà army and the Valentia Beast Knight Order, as well as whether Torencia will join the federation. Miranda of the Royal Order will visit both nations to extend the invitation.

Miranda has accompanied Reinhardt on diplomatic missions to Valentia and Alegria as part of the royal guard, so she will be traveling with a letter from Emperor Reinhardt.

While those matters are important, I was surprised by what happened after today’s meeting ended.

King Gumnos of Valentia requested a meeting with Prim, and as a result, Prim received the Holy Sword “Holiness Breath” from Valentia. I’m not sure what to make of it. Still, Prim knelt before King Gumnos and offered a pledge of fealty. I believe that Prim’s lingering resentment toward Prim’s breast may have melted away a little.

“Sister Hilde, is it alright for me to be here?”

“Yes. Hilda is at Amagi Castle, and I have mostly finished handing over my affairs in Torencia. Once the situation stabilizes here, I will only need to govern Solemne before abdicating.”

Ah, so that’s why Hilde has been able to come to Alka so frequently.

In Torencia, Princess Brynhild is reportedly overwhelmed with reconstruction and political matters. Hilde also said she was like that immediately after inheriting the throne, so in a way, it’s tradition for the Torencia Phantom King Family.

“I don’t know how long it will take to stabilize, but it shouldn’t be too long.”

“It seems like it will be settled before Yuri’s wedding.”

Indeed. The prophetic dream I heard from Gaia, the Holy Mother Dragon, on Willness Mountain in Valentia, also contained information about Yuri’s wedding. I plan to marry Yuri as soon as she comes of age, at which point I will have officially married ten people, so there’s a high probability I will also be married to Hilde by then. I will marry one more person with Yuri, but given the ages, I suspect it will be Aria. Aria is one year older than Yuri, so it’s a question as to why we have to wait a whole year.

“That will happen as it happens.”

“Well, yes. More importantly, Lady Seras, don’t you have a butler?”

“Indeed. My father wanted to assign one, but I refused. I can handle my own affairs, you see. Oh, and I am to marry Raus, so please dispense with formalities and honorifics when addressing me.”

Lady Seras says such things, but if Lichtenfels, a small nation, is to form a federation as an independent country, won’t she be its princess? It seems rather difficult to call her by her given name and speak to her casually. Then again, I’m hardly in a position to say that, given I call even the heads of noble houses, princesses, and even queens by their given names and speak to them casually.

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to call a daughter of the Grand Duke Lichtenfels family by her given name?”

“Raus will have to get used to it. Well, let’s leave that for later.”

Prim and Mana forcefully mediated the conversation. No, the most difficult situation is for Flam, who is treated as an older sister. Carol also calls her “Sister,” and Seras usually does too. She’s gotten more used to it recently, but for someone like Flam, who was a village girl, it must be considerable pressure.

“So, about tomorrow, we’re still going to the Butler’s Guild as planned, right?”

“Yes, the sooner the better. As for the Butler’s Wear, if Marina wants to do it, I’ll leave it to her. What do you think?”

“Of course, I’ll do it. I’ll need to pick up the materials, and we’ll have to decide on the designs, so I’ll need to consult with the butler.”

Well, I expected Marina to make the Butler’s Wear. That means I and Mako won’t be able to do anything until the designs are finalized. I should probably suggest making a design book using drawings of game equipment. I might as well ask.

“Marina, would it be better if I drew out the designs with drawing magic?”

“That would certainly help me study, so I’d appreciate it, but your drawings are a bit questionable in detail.”

She hit a nerve. I’m not very good at drawing, and my drawing magic is commensurate with that. So, even if I redraw the same design, it often looks different from the original compared to when Flam or Marina do it. That means I’ll have to ask Flam or Marina to redraw it, but I have no idea how many days I’ll be incapacitated if I do that.

“Drawing magic is a magic that chooses its user.”

“You say that with such a smug look, but yours is similar to mine.”

“Shut up!”

Ed interrupts, but he also has no artistic talent, so he dislikes using drawing magic. I tried letting him use it once, but he was worse than me. I could only draw the general shape, so according to Marina, we’re both about the same.

“Setting aside the design book, can’t we just do it when we have time?”

“We have time while traveling.”

As Mako and Flam say, it’s true, but ever since I gained the ability to use Traveling, that travel time has decreased considerably. It’s not that it’s impossible because it’s not zero, but it still seems like it would take a significant amount of time.

“Also, tomorrow, I need to take Seras hunting as a test of combat.”

“That’s true, but wouldn’t it be better to bring Sir Ciel as well?”

“My brother already inquired. He actually wanted to participate himself, but I believe he gave up this time due to the presence of important figures from various countries at Amagi Castle. Instead, my sister-in-law, Maruca, will accompany you.”

I thought Sir Ciel would be interested since he just got his weapon, but he already inquired? Emperor Reinhardt also seemed interested in participating, but given the current situation, he couldn’t do as he pleased and had to decline. Instead, H.R.H. Maruca will be coming, which is only natural. I think Maruca’s true intention is to escape bothersome political discussions, which is a huge plus.

Side: Seras

Finally, I joined Wing Crest and was invited to Alka. I was stunned by the sky-high scenery. I had heard about it, but it was truly an island floating in the sky, with mountains, lakes, and even a large castle-like building, which is Wing Crest’s actual base. It can only be accessed via magical tools called Transfer Stone Tablets or Gate Crystals. However, they are building a Union House in the town of Feel and contracting butlers to manage it, which is also an incredible undertaking. Because I am engaged to Raus, I will be living in a building called Kinshachi-den, located in the northeast. Yuria, who also serves Carol, gave me a tour. The interior, as well as the exterior, was full of character, making me feel as if I were glimpsing the culture of my guests’ world. Furthermore, there was even a building called Yuden, which was entirely a bathhouse, so I don’t even know what to say anymore. The only rule, “No shoes allowed,” is something I think I will have trouble getting used to. I was so excited that day, but I got too carried away and fell asleep quickly.

“Good morning, Seras.”

“Good morning, H.R.H. Manalease.”

The next morning, in the dining hall on the second floor of the main hall, where I headed with Raus and the others, I met H.R.H. Manalease. It’s only natural since we’re in the same Union, but I was a little surprised.

“It’s understandable since I’m not used to it yet, but I have renounced my succession rights and am married to Yamato, so I am no longer a princess.”

While that is true, I believe it is not problematic to address her as H.R.H. Manalease, as the title of princess may be necessary for external affairs.

“Also, since you say you don’t need honorifics for yourself, you should do the same for us. You are marrying into a Duke’s family and marrying a Hunter, so you’ll have to get used to it, won’t you?”

That is also true. Not only H.R.H. Manalease, but Mana, and even Sir Yuri, Lady Rika, and Lady Hilde, do not require honorifics and call each other by their nicknames. I am new here and not yet accustomed to it, but it cannot be like this forever. Also, I may need to change my way of speaking little by little.

While conversing with Mana, the others also woke up and gathered in the dining hall. Finally, Yamato and Prim arrived, and the homunculus managing Alka brought breakfast. Lumina, a homunculus, is primarily responsible for preparing meals at Alka, and Eos, the butler, and Yuria also assist when they are at Alka. Homunculi generally do not leave Alka, so they can manage even if all members of Wing Crest are away. However, they informed me that it would be too much of a burden for the homunculi, so everyone decided to contract with butlers. There are seven homunculi, but considering the size of Alka, it’s not enough, so I think it would be better for me to do so as well.

After breakfast, all hunters except Rebecca boarded the Amagi-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage and transferred to Float. The reason for Rebecca’s non-participation is that the physical pain from her evolution into High Class has intensified. She was suffering from pain that made it difficult to walk from the moment she woke up, so she had to rest this time, and Yuria will also remain. Carol also said she would stay, but as Lady Apricot, Prim’s mother, offered to nurse her, she courteously joined her in the beast carriage.

“We’ll be back as soon as possible, so please take care of Rebecca.”

“Yes, be careful.”

Lady Apricot also stated that she would join Wing Crest as a healer. Yamato and Prim had been urging her for a long time, but she had consistently refused. However, recently, Prim received the Holy Sword from King Gumnos of Valentia. This Holy Sword, surprisingly, represents Valentia’s royal authority. Valentia is set to be merged with Amister under King Gumnos’s reign, so Prim is not the next Beast King. The Holy Sword was bestowed upon the first Beast King by His Holiness the first Pope, and because it is fitting for a direct descendant to possess it, Prim will own it. Upon seeing the Holy Sword, Lady Apricot must have had some thoughts. I heard she readily agreed to join Wing Crest, which she had been persistently refusing, much to the surprise of Yamato and Prim. Although I have only heard the story, I am glad.

“So, where are you planning to hunt today?”

“I was thinking the Instant Labyrinth, but we don’t have much time. We’ll try the Ideal Mountain Range, hoping for the possibility that they might be there.”

“Hunting for materials, I see. They might be there, but the Instant Labyrinth has already been cleared, so there’s no longer a Labyrinth Discharge, and it’s more likely they won’t be there.”

“I know. So, I’ll go with the mindset that it’s lucky if we find anything.”

The hunting ground for today is the Ideal Mountain Range? The Ideal Mountain Range!? Haven’t I heard that the central area is a nest of G-rank monsters? No, judging from Yamato and the others’ conversation, they seem to be aiming for materials from high-ranking monsters… What are they after!?

“Ah, Yamato is probably aiming for Griffons,”

Raus murmured to me with a face that was a mix of exasperation and resignation. Griffons are M-rank monsters, but they are close to A-rank, and some individuals even surpass A-rank monsters. They are rulers of the skies that one must be prepared to die if encountered!

“They can even defeat Demise Species, and even without that, there are ten Ancient Classes, so even if they face M-rank or A-rank monsters, they won’t be in serious trouble.”

That might be true, but even so, for my first hunt as a member of Wing Crest to be against a Griffon is terrifying! However, not only Raus but also Carol and Reina gave me looks of resignation and admonishment.

“I entered the Solpreza Labyrinth immediately after joining, and Reina entered the Instant Labyrinth as well. So, I think the Ideal Mountain Range is still much better?”

Seeing Carol and Reina with distant looks in their eyes, I couldn’t help but shudder. I had heard rumors that Wing Crest engaged in some pretty extreme hunting, and it seems the rumors were true. Now that I am also a member of Wing Crest, am I supposed to give up and get used to it? My only worry is whether that day will ever come…